While snoring is often regarded as a somewhat humorous occurrence, it can be anything but humorous for those involved and for persons in te vicinity. Indeed, those who may be with a snoring person can often find it difficult or impossible to fall to sleep themselves, and in many cases the act of snoring has been known to wake the snorer, perhaps many times during the course of sleep. Further, the act of snoring tends to dry the mouth, which is at least uncomfortable for the snorer when he or she awakes, and is also associated with sleep apnea, a momentary cessation of respiration, which condition can lead to at least some degree of hypoxia on the part of the person so afflicted.
Snoring is caused by inhalation through the mouth, rather than through the nose, and the inrush of air through the throat creates a harmonic vibration or flutter of the soft palate and uvula of the snorer. Accordingly, numerous devices and means have been developed in attempts to reduce or eliminate oral breathing during sleep. Many of these devices comprise masks or articles which are applied to the area of the mouth in some way, with the intent of reducing the intake of air through the mouth, and accordingly fall beyond the scope of the present invention. Other devices have been developed which encourage the sleeper to turn to a position in which the wide opening of the jaw and mouth are less likely, in order to reduce snoring. An example of such is the well known attachment of a tennis ball to the back of a sleeper's night wear. This device has been only marginally successful, as the relatively soft and pliable tennis ball provides sufficient compliance that a sleeper can become acclimated to such after a time, and the device loses its effectiveness. Other devices which encourage a sleeper to change his or her position have been developed, as will be discussed below, but all include one or more deficiencies making them less than optimally suitable for the task.
The need arises for a belt which may be worn by a sleeping person, which belt provides a plurality of pockets for the inclusion of one or more articles at strategic locations and which articles encourage the sleeper to shift his or her position to one less likely to allow the sleeper to snore. The pocketed belt should provide plural pockets in several locations, thus allowing the insertion of one or more anti-snoring devices in locations found to be particularly effective with a given individual. The devices themselves may be electromechanical or simple, monolithic structures, and should provide sufficient effectiveness to preclude a sleeper becoming used to the devices' function. Finally, the devices should provide only for the disturbing of the sleeper, rather than producing an aural or other signal which might awaken another person sleeping in the immediate area.